Sermons Based on the Lectionary of the Syrian Orthodox Church

The Bread of Life Came Down From Heaven

by Tobin Pederson, Corcoran, MN

Gospel: John 6:26-35

Beloved of the Lord……With all that is going on in the
world today, the violence in Cairo, the floods of
Australia, the famine in Africa, corrupt powers at home,
this world stands on the brink of collapse. Every day it
seems more evident there is a great upheaval just
around the corner. At times such as these it is very easy
to grow fearful about the future of the next generation,
and all they might suffer. Yet, in the words of Jesus,
today there is indeed a way to comfort our hearts, and
also the hearts of our children. We teach our children
that Jesus is the Bread of Life who came down from
heaven to save us from our sins and deliver us from this
evil world. By the power of His Gospel Word which
we feed our children, the Bread of Life will nurture and
strengthen their faith. Living in the midst of a sinful
world, we look to the Rock that is higher than us, that
Rock who gives living waters to the thirsty soul. Jesus
said, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst." With this
Bread of Life we live forever.

I. The wrong reasons for following Jesus.

As we look
at the words of the people in our lesson today, it is
apparent they were following Jesus for the wrong
reasons. Just one day earlier, Jesus performed a great
miracle by feeding five thousand people with five
barely loaves and two small fishes. When the people
wanted to make Him a king, He departed. Later that
night Jesus did another great miracle by walking on the
waters to His disciples in a boat. Yet when the people
caught up with Him the next day Jesus said nothing of
this miracle. He wanted them to follow His Word, not
His miracles. "Ye seek me not because ye saw the
miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were
filled."

Jesus performing countless miracles during His
earthly ministry only to confirm the Word He preached,
that He was indeed the Son of God with all power and
authority. His miracles played second fiddle to the
saving word He preached. Thus when we weigh in the
scales the MIRACLES of Jesus and the WORDS of
Jesus, the words Jesus spoke were far more important
than His miracles. Miracles heal only the body, but the
Gospel Word heals the soul. Forgiven souls which
believe in Christ's forgiveness receive heaven, but
unforgiven souls who despise Christ's forgiveness
receive damnation. We are not saved by miracles, but
the external and written Word of God alone offers to all
sinners forgiveness of all sin. There is not one passage
in the whole Bible where God tells us to follow
ministers, preachers, popes or priests who perform
miracles. Rather Jesus foretells, "There shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect." Since we are now living
in the End Times, we should especially watch out for
those deceivers that do great miracles, great signs, lying
wonders! Do not follow them or be deceived! Rather
listen to and follow the true words of Jesus which we
find in our Bibles. He alone gives living waters to the
thirsty soul. Jesus said, "he that believeth on Me shall
never thirst."

Jesus also said, "Ye seek me because ye did eat the
loaves and were filled." Jesus does not want anyone to
follow Him, thinking they will reap blessings on earth
for doing so. Instead God promises His children
suffering for the sake of His name, not happiness,
material wealth or good health. Let us therefore beware
of prosperity preachers who teach that if you give your
heart to God, if you obey His commandments, if you
tithe ten percent, God will make you rich and you'll
never lack for anything. I can't help but think of a
friend who told me about a church he once visited.
Inside there was a big picture of the pastor. He was
richly dressed with a fine suit, a golden watch and
neckless. My friend thought it funny that there wasn't a
picture of Jesus, but a big picture of the pastor.
Obviously that is the type of church that is selling
something. They were selling Christ for a profit,
namely they were teaching souls that if they follow
Christ, they too will merit God's blessings. Yet once
again, the words of Jesus in our Bibles make all things
clear, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life." "The
love of money is the root of all evil: which while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

There is yet one more wrong reason for following
Jesus, namely earthly glory. It was with pride the
people said, "What shall we do, that we might work the
works of God!" Likewise, "Our fathers did eat manna
in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from
heaven to eat." These two statements reveal much,
namely their road to heaven was by good works. Moses
was their great ancestor who brought down bread from
heaven. They were God's chosen people because God
did all these great miracles for them.

Even when we hear such words we inwardly
cringe at their pride and immediately we think, "I'm
glad I'm not like them". Yet this very thought reveals
we are just like them, proud by nature, proud at heart.
If we are proud of our ancestors, proclaiming the great
things they did by coming to America, or the great
things they accomplished while in America, we are
failing to glorify God who in mercy brought them to
America. While we can thank God some of our
ancestors held fast and faithful to God's Word, and they
rightly taught their children that Jesus is the Bread of
Life who came down from heaven, we should not be
proud in the sense that they merited or earned this
Bread of Life. Neither have we. All the goodness
therefore which we enjoy today in our country, comes
not by merit of our ancestors, but God's mercy alone.
Jesus said, "This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent." From generation
to generation it has been God alone who has worked
saving faith into sinful hearts by the preaching of God's
Word, by the teaching of the Bread of Life who came
down from heaven offering to the world His
forgiveness of sins. "Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God." The Word of God itself
is the carrier which brings and carries from heaven the
Bread of Life, forgiveness for our hungry soul. If we
want to speak of a great and notable miracle, let us
speak of the miracle of our God-given faith. Though
we were born in sin, God taught the Gospel Word to
our hearts so we were born from above, born of water
and the Spirit. Another greater miracle is this: we still
have Christ crucified and the full truth of God's Word!
And while we ought to honor greatly those fathers and
mothers who sacrificed much so their children would
have the pure Word, it was not our parents who
preserved the Word, nor was it our parents who saved
us, "but according to His mercy He saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life."

II. Only the Bread of Life can feed the hungry soul.

Therefore "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but
for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life,
which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath
God the Father sealed." While no man can labor, work,
or earn his way into heaven, Christ Himself is that meat
who did all the labor Himself. He suffered, died, and
was buried, but He rose again the third day. God the
Father sealed Christ for that very purpose, namely He
chose Him, elected Him, ordained Him for the sacred
task of redeeming all mankind. I John 4:14 says, "The
Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world."
Luther explained, "[By] the Son of Man, therewith He
indicates clearly and publicly that God the Father has a
Son whom they can see before their eyes, take hold of,
hear, and feel." Thus all who believe in Him would
receive and inherit everlasting life.

"This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him
whom He hath sent." Note in this passage faith itself is
a WORK of God, but God through this gift is
convincing us to believe, for if we do not believe we
cannot be saved. Hence the Bible says, "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but He that
believeth not shall be damned." Jesus likewise said,
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Thus it is true, and we dare not apologize for it:
Christ alone is the only door to heaven, the only Bread
of Life one can eat to be saved. "I am the way, the
truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but
by me." The god of the Jews, Mormons, J.W.'s,
Muslims cannot save anyone, because these gods do not
exist. They exist only in the minds of man, and they all
teach what the devil has always taught, that man must
earn heaven by good works. But directly contrary to
this Jesus said, "My Father GIVETH you the true bread
from heaven, for the bread of God is he which cometh
down from heaven, and GIVETH life unto the world."
There is therefore accordingly through Christ true,
spiritual, and everlasting life, because He by His body
earned for us the forgiveness of sins on the cross.
Correspondingly without Christ there is no true,
spiritual, or everlasting life, because those in unbelief
are still dead without forgiveness by faith in Christ.
Having no faith in Christ they do not possess Christ's
forgiveness by faith. Thus Christ teaches in the Bible,
all men should sincerely turn away from their sins and
confess their sins to Christ whose arms of forgiveness
are open. Lord evermore give us this bread! To this
plea of the broken sinner, Jesus happily declares, "I am
the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
Finally beloved of the Lord, God's forgiveness of
sins through Christ the Bread of Life is without limit,
abundant, and overflowing. "Where sin abounds, grace
does much more abound." Isaiah writes His
forgiveness is "without money, without price." To
those who thirst to be forgiven Jesus says, "Let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved." "This is the bread which cometh down
from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I
am the living bread which came down from heaven: if
any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for
the life of the world." Amen.